The first lady's office posted a picture of Mrs Obama's new hairdo on her new Twitter page (
@FLOTUS
) last night. It shows her meeting at the White House with one of eight citizens named co-chairs of President Barack Obama's inauguration.

The last time Mrs Obama was seen in public, earlier this month when she and her family returned from Hawaii, her dark, shoulder-length hair was held away from her face by a headband. Her next public appearances will come on Saturday, when she helps kick off several days of inaugural festivities.

Thursday turned out to be a busy day for the first lady. Along with the new Twitter presence, she celebrated her 49th birthday.

The first 15 people or organisations Mrs Obama chose to follow included feeds from all the branches of the US military, the Coast Guard, the Department of Education, and the Partnership for a Healthier America, of which she is honorary chairwoman.

She also quickly followed tweets from the White House and the office of Vice President Joe Biden.

But there was no immediate sign of President Barack Obama's Twitter feed, which has 25 million followers around the world, in the list of those being followed by Mrs Obama.